


Young Dumb Broke High School Kids

by WinnieTherPooh



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Best Friends, Emotional Hurt, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gaslighting, Hurt Leo Fitz, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons Friendship, alistair fitz is an ass, honestly just two nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinnieTherPooh/pseuds/WinnieTherPooh
Summary: What if FitzSimmons had met long before they entered the academy? Jemma writes Doctor Who and Harry Potter fanfiction while she completes her doctorates, and Fitz uses complex scientific explanations for Doctor Who to distract himself from his feuding family. They never expected to become best friends, much less meet in real life.Previously published on FF.net as "Red Converse Grey Sweater"





	1. Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is an updated version of the fic I originally posted on my fanfiction.net account. Thanks for reading!

Jemma Simmons learned at age 14 that there were places on the internet for teenagers with a deep obsession with Doctor Who and Harry Potter, and ever since, she had carved out time each day for a fansite deep into the bowels of the internet. It was there, at age 15, that she met @science_is_cooler_than_you, an equally brilliant, equally obsessed Whovian who was practically her own age.

Her first interaction with him was when she sent him a message applauding a post he made in which he (a bloody genius) explained how he could (theoretically) build a TARDIS that would at least be bigger on the inside, if not capable of traveling through time and space.

_ [9:13:29 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : I loved your piece on the TARDIS! I love it when science can legitimize science fiction! Bravo! _

**[1:09:43 AM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Thank you!**

_ [10:35:32 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : How did you come up with your TARDIS idea? _

**[10:36:17 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I get bored during language arts sometimes and I kind of sketched it out then.**

_ [10:37:56 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : How long did it take you? _

**[10:39:45 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : A couple hours. I worked on it on the bus to school some too.**

**[10:40:24 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Do you like science?**

_ [10:41:01 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Yes!!!!!! :) :) :) Why? _

**[10:41:35 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Cause I’ve got my ion you……**

Jemma logged out as fast as she could and sprinted to the bathroom, hoping that her mum would not hear her and ask what the problem was. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before, and by the burning embarrassment in her face she was sure that anybody who saw her could tell what had happened. The mirror revealed that her skin was the normal color, and Jemma leaned on the sink to take a few calming breaths before returning to her studies. It was days before she dared to log back in, hoping that the bold and brilliant @science_is_cooler_than_you had disappeared, and that she would be allowed to crawl back into her corner of the website, posting her own little fanfictions and musings about her favorite things. With shaking fingers she typed in her login and watched the navy blue screen load in front of her.

53 new messages.

Two were from followers of her Harry Potter fanfiction, asking when she would update it. One was a message from the server about an update. Forty were from @science_is_cooler_than_you.

**[10:43:28 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I thought you’d think that was funny**

**[10:45:39 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I actually like science I swear**

**[10:47:59 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I wasn’t trying to be creepy**

**[10:55:30 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I’m not a serial killer I swear**

**[10:56:00 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : That made it creepier**

**[11:00:29 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I really messed this up didn’t I?**

**[1:17:18 AM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I’M SORRY**

**[7:15:49 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : PLEASE COME BACK**

**[7:17:33 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Your followers are going to hate me**

**[7:20:45 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : PLEASE BE MY NERDY FRIEND**

**[7:21:09 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : YOU ARE ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTOOD MY TARDIS POST**

**[7:22:07 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I AM NOT GOOD AT MAKING PEOPLE LIKE ME PLEASE COME BACK**

Jemma scrolled through them in spite of herself. She almost typed out a reply, but decided first to dig around his profile a little more.

Dang.

Bloody genius. She couldn’t just ignore him. There weren’t enough brilliant teenagers that loved Doctor Who for her to pass on the chance of making a friend with this one.

_ [9:46:02 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Please don’t kill m _

**[9:46:23 PM} @science_is_cooler_than_you : I promise not to be creepy**

**[9:46:35 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Friends?**

_ [9:47:04 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : I’m not calling the cops _

**[9:47:32 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I said I was sorry**

_ [9:48:09 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Ok _

**[9:50:32 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : What kind of science?**

_ [9:52:13 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : biochemistry. You? _

**[9:53:23 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : engineering. Fake nerd or real nerd?**

_ [9:54:34 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Doctor Who or science? _

**[9:55:09 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : both**

_ [9:55:54 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : both. You? _

**[9:56:24 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : both. I think we’re soulmates.**

_ [9:57:49 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : I’m glad you can determine that based on a ten minute conversation. You promised not to be creepy. Bye. _

**[9:58:00 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Dang I did it again, didn’t I?**

**[9:58:23 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Oops**

Soulmates? He was ridiculous, Jemma decided as she began studying again for one of her finals. It was ten stupid minutes with somebody she didn’t even know. Somehow she couldn’t get her mind off of it. Her cheeks were as red as her converse.

Soulmates? He wasn’t sure they existed, Leo Fitz decided as he heard his parents fight for the tenth time that night. 


	2. Closed Doors

When Jemma finally dared to log back in, she was surprised to find  only one message from @science_is_cooler_than_you.

 

**[10:12:43 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : I’m sorry.**

 

That was it. Jemma tapped her fingers on the keys, filling the chat box with nonsense before letting the backspace run through it. Repeat. She wanted to continue the conversation, but how was she supposed to respond to this? She sighed and put her head down on the keyboard, hitting keys at random. There was a rush and a chime and she jerked her head up. 

 

_ [7:36:58 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : ythgmeuchmetehvbcix _

 

“No, no no.” She grabbed the mouse, searching for an undo button, or some way that she could delete the embarrassing message. Nothing.

 

_ [7:37:31 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : That was a mistake, sorry. _

 

It would be silly for her to hope for a response so soon, Jemma knew. Her cheeks flushed again as she re-read the humiliating message. With a click she Xed out of website and began her homework. The phone rang in another room, and she got up and shut the door. Within moments, her dad was knocking. “Jemma? It’s for you.”

The unreasonable part of her worried that this had something to do with the fansite. No, that was ridiculous. Who knew where the awkward nerd lived? But maybe he really was a serial killer and he had been caught trying to lure people through the website and the police had his computer and they had seen her message and they thought she was an accomplice or a victim and now they were calling to make sure she was alive so that she could witness.

“Hello? This is Jemma Simmons.”

“Dr. Simmons- I’m Agent Weaver of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Agent Weaver? Her fears were not put to rest. “I’d like to talk to you about applying to our exclusive academy for gifted minds.”

Jemma barely withheld a sigh of relief. “You want to talk to me about school?”

“Yes.” Agent Weaver said, “Should I be talking to you about something else?”

“No, I mean no, ma’am.” Jemma stammered. “Where is this Academy?”

“For the safety of the students, the location is classified until acceptance and matriculation into the program. I can tell you that it is in the Continental United States. All expenses will be paid upon acceptance. Maybe I could meet with you for lunch tomorrow in the coffee shop on campus?”

“You- you know where I live?” Jemma asked, “And you can get here this quickly?”

“I’m already in these parts of the world for recruitment purposes. We are very interested in having you beginning this summer, Dr. Simmons. Tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to talk to my parents.” Jemma said, “But I should be able to make it. Tomorrow at the coffee shop near the science pavilion?”

“I look forward to meeting you, Dr. Simmons.” The call ended abruptly, and Jemma realized that Agent Weaver hadn’t told her how she had found her.

“Jemma?” Her dad pushed open the door to her room. “Is everything all right in there?”

“Yes!” Jemma called excitedly, “Dad, it’s incredible. There’s this organization, I need to look it up, they have a special school for really smart people, they’ve offered me a full scholarship if I get in. Dad, it’s incredible.”

Her father shrugged. “We’ll have to see about that, Jemma.”

“Dad-” Jemma felt heat pulsing through her veins. “Dad, it’s a once in a lifetime chance.”

“Let’s not argue about it now, Jemma. Let’s wait until we know more about it, and then we’ll talk, aight?” He took the phone from her. “Goodnight now.”

The door swung shut. 

* * *

Leo hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder and ducked his head as he climbed on the bus home. The blue fluorescent lights bothered his eyes after the peaceful darkness of the bus stop, but at least they afforded him the ability to work. Dropping his backpack on the seat next to him, he maneuvered the dilapidated zipper enough for it to open and weasel out his sketch pad. Turning to almost the very back of the closely filled sheets of designs and notes, he stared at his work from earlier in the day until he realized that he had been asleep. His head flew up and he checked his watch. They were almost at his stop, and he had almost missed it. Frantically shoving his pad back into the bag, he waited anxiously for the bus to arrive at his stop.

The walk home felt longer than usual tonight, perhaps because his brain was still drowsy from his unintended nap. He was later than usual unlocking the door of the shabby house. A light was burning in the living room, probably his mum, waiting up for him. Hopefully his mum.

No such luck. Alistair Fitz stood, glowering, in the hallway. Leo could see his mother behind him, whispering, pleading. Leo shut the door slowly. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Leo hardly dared to breath. 

“At school, Father.” He prayed that it wasn’t too cheeky.

“You’re late.” Alistair took a step towards him, and Leo felt his heart pounding against his ribs under his sweater.

“I-I-I walked slower than usual. I’m tired.” He knew that his father wouldn’t accept the excuse.

“Alistair, please, he looks tired, can’t you see?”  _ No, mum, please don’t get involved. _

“Excuses, excuses. Always making excuses.” Alistair punctuated his last word with a blow across Leo’s face.

“Alistair, please.” Leo had learned to fall back, but not too much, when his father hit him. It made things easier. He wasn’t weak, but he learned his lesson. “Please.”

“All right, all  _ right _ , Elizabeth. It’s damned disrespectful of you to show up so late, Leopold.” He sounded almost reasonable now. “You’re getting your mother all worried. You deserve it, for giving her a fright like that.”

“I’m sorry, Mum. I’m sorry, Father.” Leo’s eye was watering to the point where he couldn’t see. He kept his head down. “It won’t happen again.” He waited for his father to move, so that he could get to his room. Finally, mercifully, Alistair shifted out of the way and Leo slipped past. At the door to his room, Alistair’s voice stopped him again.

“Aren’t you going to say goodnight? It’s the least you could do after showing up so late and scaring my wife half to death.”  _ That was your doing, not mine _ . 

“Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, mum.” It took every part of him not to slam the door behind him. HIs watch read past eleven, but the altercation with his father had robbed the last euphoric waves of drowsiness from him. He cautiously took his seat in front of the computer. It was his mother’s work, having it in his room. She was proud of what he did at school. His shaking fingers did not allow for him to type in his password, and he realized that his heart was still racing. He gently probed the tender skin around his eye, already beginning to swell. Turning away from the computer, he lay down on the same twin bed that he had slept in for years, staring at the same cracks in the ceiling. He needed to sleep. He wanted to sleep. A knock sounded on his door, and for a moment his heart raced. It was too quiet to be his father. “Come in?”

His mother crept in around the door, a bag of ice in her hand, offering it to him without a word.

He took the cold pack from her outstretched hand. “Thank you.” He whispered, pulling her into a side hug with his free hand. 

“I’m sorry, Leo.” Her hands rubbed his back gently, finding the tight and sore places and massaging them into submission. 

“It’s not your doing, mum.” The ice was blissful on his eye. “I shouldn’t have dozed off on the bus.”

“Was your day all right?”

He knew that she didn’t understand what he did, and he had stopped trying to explain the details. “Yeah. I’ll be submitting my dissertation soon, and then I’ll be a doctor.” 

“I’m so proud of you, Leopold.” Elizabeth brushed a kiss across his cheek. “You’re so clever, so smart.”

“Not for Father, I’m not.” He was never going to be smart enough for Alistair.

“Your father-” Elizabeth looked at the open door and trailed off. “Goodnight, Leo.” 

The door swung shut. 

His hands had stopped shaking now, and he looked over at the computer. Had Hermione responded yet? He almost leaned over to log in and check, but stopped himself. That was just one more relationship for him to muck up.

 

_ [8:39:31 PM] @not_hermione_but_close: You know, I still don’t understand why Dumbledore didn’t just tell them that Sirius was innocent. It’s really his fault that all this happened in the first place. _

**@science_is_cooler_than_you isn’t online right now. They'll see your message later.**

 


	3. Dumbledore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The day may come when I stop combining my fandoms, but today is not that day. Minor spoilers for Harry Potter in today's chapter. Thank you for reading, and please drop a comment if you liked it. :)

Alistair was in the kitchen when Leo went to get breakfast. His heart began to pound without him realizing it. “Good morning, Leopold.” 

“Good morning, Father.” Better to answer than to ignore him.

“Let me see your eye, son.” Leo turned around. “That’s not bad. Look, Leopold, I’m sorry about last night. It just upsets me so much when your mother is upset. I’m doing the best I can to raise you, son, and when you’re so inconsiderate of that-” Alistair’s hand on Leo’s shoulder made him want to cringe. “All I’m asking is that you respect me a little more, Leopold. It’s shameful how rude you’ve gotten. Get just a little education, and you think you know more than everybody else and that gives you license to be a jackass. Thousands of people get their doctorates every year, this doesn’t make you special. And it certainly doesn’t allow you to show up late and disrespect your mother and I.” 

Leo nodded.

“I’m sorry that I have to be so hard on you, but you leave me no choice. It’s not an easy business raising a boy to be a man, you know.”

“I know.” Leo nodded again, and turned to the door. Maybe it would be better to get breakfast at school.

“Wait.” The almost kind tone in Alistair’s voice had shifted, and now there was an angry edge. What was it now? “I got a call this morning, before your lazy ass was out of bed. You should have told me before you applied to a school in America.”

“I haven’t applied to any schools in America.” Leo’s stomach began to twist. Sure, he had wanted to, but he hadn’t given information to any of them. 

“Then why did I get a call from SHIELD about your application to their Academy?” Alistair took a step towards Leo. 

“SHIELD called about me?” He regretted the question as soon as it passed his lips. Idiot. That would imply he knew something about it.

“They tell me that you have a “gifted mind,” which of course I know is absolute bull. Now tell me how they got the number. You obviously have some idea who they are.”

“I got a letter a few months ago, but I didn’t think anything of it. I knew you wouldn’t let me move to America.”

“And you didn’t feel like mentioning it?” Alistair took a step closer to him, and Leo’s hand gripped around the strap of his backpack.

“I didn’t think it was anything important. I get letters from random places all the time. I didn’t give them any information, I swear.”

“Alistair, please. You can see he’s telling the truth.” Elizabeth appeared behind Leo. “Let the boy go to school.”

“Don’t think this conversation is over. I don’t know what business some American agency thinks they have calling my house, but I intend to find out. And I don’t want you talking to them, you understand?” Alistair raised his voice as Leo and Elizabeth stepped into the foyer.

“All right, Father. I understand.” The door was so close, and then it would be 14 hours until he had to come back. 

“Have a good day, monkey.” Elizabeth pulled him close for a hug, and whispered into his ear as Alistair gave a loud commentary on the stupidity of the pet name. “I saved the number, and I’ll call the woman later. I want you to get out of here.”

“But honestly, what self respecting man lets a woman call him monkey?” Alistair’s presence in the foyer cued Leo’s rapid departure. As he walked down the sidewalk, he could still hear his father’s sentence trailing off. “You baby him, Elizabeth. You keep that up, he’ll end up dumber than he is now.”

* * *

 

“Of course, we couldn’t be prouder of our little Jemma.” Jemma squirmed in her seat as her mother continued to talk to the neighbor. “She’s done so well in school that the high school worked out an arrangement for her to take courses at the university. She’s working on her doctorate now, in what field was it, dear?”

“Biochemistry,  mum.” If only the woman would leave, so that she could talk about SHIELD with her parents. 

“That’s right. She doesn’t want to be a people doctor though, just a researcher. Imagine! Our little Jemma, a doctor. But of course, she’ll be happy to watch the baby tomorrow afternoon, won’t you, Jemma dear? You don’t have class?”

“Of course. I would love to.” Jemma plastered on her most convincing smile. Soon enough, the neighbor would leave, all babysitting arrangements made, right?

Except, of course, the babysitting turned into a full conversation about something else, and then it was time for her little sister to be put to bed. Jemma sighed, and retreated to her computer, hoping that something there could take her mind off the looming opportunities that Agent Weaver had offered her that afternoon.

 

**[9:32:13 PM} @science_is_cooler_than_you : You’re right.**

**[9:47:32 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : So you’ve decided to forgive me?**

_ [9:48:09 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : There’s a shortage of brilliant minds in the world, it would be a pity to miss out on yours. _

**[9:50:32 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Was that supposed to be a princess bride reference?**

_ [9:54:34 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : ......yes?  _

**[9:55:09 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : you’re right, Dumbledore really screwed sirius over**

_ [9:55:54 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Just think, Harry could have grown up with Sirius instead of Dursleys _

**[9:56:24 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : dumbledore is the real villain of harry potter.**

_ [9:57:49 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : that might be going a little far _

**[9:58:30 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : i’m not kidding. What kind of bastard puts a kid into an abusive house? Nobody deserves that, ever.**

_ [9:59:45 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : he didn’t really know _

**[10:01:32 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : McGonagall told him!! HE KNEW IT AND HE STILL DID IT.**

_ [10:02:14 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : He was trying to do what was best for Harry.  _

**[10:03:45 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : i don’t think there’s ever a scenario where abuse is “best”**

_ [10:04:49 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : Of course I’m not saying that exactly  _

**[10:05:30 PM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : Good.**

_ [10:06:45 PM] @not_hermione_but_close : so, you’re going to build a TARDIS? _

 

**@science_is_cooler_than_you isn’t online right now.**

 

**[12:32:45 AM] @science_is_cooler_than_you : sorry, had a talk with my dad. Yes, I’m going to build a TARDIS, sort of, but it’s called the Zephyr. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow**

 


End file.
